Counter Strike is a skill-based first person shooter series. Despite there being many games in the series, the basic strategies and practice techniques remain the same. This article will teach you how to improve your skill in the Counter Strike games.

Steps

Method1

How To Practice

1

Play with people who are a little bit better than you. If you play with people that are horrible or people that are much better than you, then you won't be able to learn anything. As you get better, move up servers.

2

Close memory and bandwidth consuming applications. This includes programs like MSN, AIM and Limewire. If you experience lag, then try contacting your ISP or try fixing it in some way. If you lag in Counter-Strike, it can greatly alter how well you play.

3

Have your volume up. Sound is the most important factor in CS. By listening to footsteps, you can know when to start walking silently (default - shift) or to crouch and hide in a dark area. Pay attention to the type of footstep sound: there are different sounds for gravel, wood, cement, and steel.

4

Join a league! There are leagues for all different skill levels. Most of the really competitive teams play in CAL or CEVO. Most games are played in a 5 on 5 format on select bomb defuse maps. There are other, less competitive leagues, but most serious players don't lend them any respect.

5

Practice as much as you can. Scrim a few times per week if possible. It will make you better at strats and prepare you for live games.

6

Talk only when you're dead. If you try to talk while you're alive, you're wasting time unless you're using voice communication. Also, most people ignore radio commands, so don't expect your teammates to come when you hit "c3." Use radio commands only when it is warranted.

Method2

How To Move

1

Keep moving at all times. When you are turning corners, jump and duck just in case anyone planned on you popping out. This strategy can work well against snipers, but in an enclosed space, it is always best to move quickly and always make sure to aim at head level unless you know the opponent is crouched.

2

Crouch before shooting and while moving and firing. Hipfiring is an excellent way to improve your accuracy and reduce recoil and spread. It also prevents Sniper Rifle Scopes from blurring out while moving and makes you slightly harder to hit.

3

Make sure to follow your teammates and stick together. Taking on a group of players by yourself can mean certain death except for the best of CS players. Try to make sure that your teammates aren't trying to use grenades before you go around a corner because you might be asking for a flash in the face!

4

If you're sniping, do not move when you fire your shot. If you're moving, you will miss and have to wait until you can fire because your next shot can be deadly.

5

Learn about how long it takes for you to get from your spawn to specific places. For example, if you know how long it takes for a CT to get into lower B tunnels, then all you have to do is listen. Or, if you hear some footsteps, you can take appropriate measures to ensure that you don't die helplessly.

Method3

How To Use A Weapon

1

Know which weapons to use in which maps .If the map is open and wide spaced, sniper rifles would be a good option. If you are using magnum in close quarters and alleys, you are most likely to be killed by an opponent who has M4.

Use M4 as a counter-terrorist and an AK47 as a terrorist

Sidearm: Desert eagle (it is the most powerful pistol)

If the map is a closed one which involves close range fire, choose a good assault rifle,shotgun, smg or machine gun.

Do not use SMG, machine guns and shotguns if the range is big because they are not very accurate. Use assault rifles or sniper rifles instead.

2

Try disabling the dynamic crosshair. Most upper level players disable it because it makes aiming a lot easier with rifles and the deagle.

3

Always buy a flash-bang and a HE-grenade if you can afford it. Do this after buying your weapons/armor. If somebody is camping you can flash him out or grenade him out.

4

Know where and when to throw a flashbang. If you throw it straight in front of you, it will blind you as well. Always throw flashbangs on corners or, after throwing it, hide behind a wall or obstacle and make sure it doesn't come in your view.

5

Learn what walls and boxes can be shot through. Pinpointing an enemy with sound is very helpful, but there still remains the problem of having to remove that threat. There are options like flashes, grenades, and peeking the player in a one on one situation, but overall your best bet is to take the opponent out without risking yourself or wasting a flash or grenade that you may need later.

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Video

Tips

Buy a defuse kit when you can. Time is everything in CS, so you want to spend as little time as possible exposed while defusing

Don't panic! The more you panic, the more you spray.

If you see a hacker, the first thing you should do is inform any available admins. If there are none or they do not respond in a timely manner, simply leave the server - do not feed the desires of the hacker, do not waste your time, and do not aggravate others by complaining.

Set your sensitivity to whatever feels comfortable for you. The lower your sensitivity, the easier it is to keep your aim steady.

Change the size of your crosshair(press ~ than type cl_crosshairscale 2100). You will have a greater chance of hitting your opponent because the bullets will be in a more confined area than a huge crosshair that takes up half the screen.

When you are playing online you can use the he grenade to your advantage. If you suspect that an enemy is approaching, throw the HE grenade from a distance. If you have a flash grenade, throw it immediately after the HE grenade. 85% of the time, you can take the enemy down .

Warnings

If you find yourself buying a defusal kit on a hostage map as a counter-terrorist, then you may need to put the game down and take a break.

Remember that there are people out there who are better than you. Complaining about hackers because you are losing is annoying to the others in the game.

Remember to stand up every once in a while and get food or a drink. Often, you can get frustrated if you're playing poorly, which only makes your playing worse. If you keep yourself from getting frustrated, you'll play a lot better.

Never resort to hacks. Since VAC2 came out, you risk wasting your money on your license. If you feel the need to cheat, play single player games.

Things You'll Need

Broadband Internet.

A "good" graphics card. CS 1.6 runs on the old Half-Life engine from the late 90's and takes very little to max out in comparison to other, more current engines.

At least 512MB of RAM is helpful. Even though the game is old, your game-play will be smoother with better specs.

A "good" mouse, preferably an optical mouse. Logitech has an amazing series of mice, the MX 510 was considered the standard CS mouse for a time. (It's still a great mouse!)

A decent sound card. Anything with Sound Blaster on the side is probably good enough. Make sure it's capable of "full duplex" which means that it can receive input (microphone) simultaneously to sound output.